After her son died by suicide, Theodora Schiro vowed to raise awareness and teach others about depression and suicide. In this article, Schiro (a former teacher and principal) explains how educators can detect warning signs, devise preventative programs, and fight the stigma associated with suicide.

This article presents prominent educators who describe the most important quality of an effective teacher. Sonia Nieto, professor at Emerita, Language, Literacy, and Culture University of Massachusetts, argues that in this age of hubris and shameless self-promotion, humility is an essential quality for teachers to have. Joseph Semadeni, fifth…

In 1980, The Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Public School District polled its teachers, administrators, politicians, and parents for their views on the schools' most pressing needs. In the resulting renewal plan, phase I focused on renewing teachers' professional skills. Phase II challenged schools to institutionalize shared decision making and…

Competency testing can provide helpful information to educators and the public. (Author)

If the basics are used as vehicles for teaching students to think, for developing their intellectual powers, and hence for preparing them effectively for their futures, they merit their central position in the schools. (Author)

The education landscape is changing as a result of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). How is it changing, and who is most affected? The reports presented in this article examine the impact of NCLB, highlight educators' concerns, and recommend improvements. These reports include: (1) "From the Capital to the Classroom: Year 4 of the No Child Left…

Society must create--in connection with schools or apart from them--new ways to help young people learn about "becoming adult." (Author)

Dialogue with our constituents is essential if we expect them to support public education. (Author)

The US people are becoming less concerned with what's good for children and more concerned about compliance with No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policy. The NCLB is constricting the curricular thinking of education leaders rather than spurring instructional improvements.

Author evaluated the role that society has placed upon speed''. (RK)

The minimum competency testing issue raises basic questions--who controls public education and what should be taught? (Author)

High schools should be as concerned about placement of students who do not go to college as with those who do. (Author)

In a response to a review of Volume VI of the Youth in Transition series, the authors discuss how competency testing can be used to improve basic education. (MLF)

Critics have long claimed that kids are getting dumber. Only in recent decades have schools been blamed for students' perceived ineptitude and our nation's declining competitiveness. Education indicators sagged around 1965 for a decade, then climbed to new highs. The schools shouldered the blame for the late 1980s recession, but got no credit for…

Public opinion surveys conducted by Public Agenda confirm that parents, students, and educators from diverse ethnic groups share the same fundamental aspirations for education and agree on the basic reforms needed in schools. The author, a senior advisor for Public Agenda, describes survey findings that suggest that all groups see education as the…